Zmitser Shymanski sues 1st TV channel

Zmitser Shymanski, the chairman of Brest branch of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, has sued to Pershamaiski district court of Minsk for protection of his honor and dignity.

In his interview to the BelaPAN Mr. Shymanski said that there were three claims in his suit. ‘Firstly, I ask the court co confess that the information which was shown by the 1st TV channel is not true and is insulting for my honor and dignity. Secondly, I ask to oblige the Belarusian State TV and Radio Company to disprove the insulting remarks towards me. And thirdly – to exempt from the defendant 3 659 340 Belarusian rubles for the moral harm done,’ said Shymanski.

Bear in mind that 29 May the 1st channel of the Belarusian TV showed a program in which the US Embassy was accused of financing the Belarusian opposition. According to the TV channel, the embassy finances the opposition through its small grants program. The videos from interrogations of Shymanski and the editor of an oppositional newspaper (whom the TV journalists reported to have confirmed having received money from the US Embassy) were shown as evidence.

As. Mr. Shymanski says, the workers of the department of financial investigations have confiscated from him $1 718. ‘They tried to make me explain the origin of the money, but I refused from giving any explanations. Then the DFI officers asked me to provide the income declaration for the last five years and then I was let go,’ Shymanski said. ‘The confiscated money belonged to me and I was going to buy a computer for it. The alleged reason for the confiscation is that it was to be checked for authenticity,’ he added.

Court grants claim of tax inspection to Kanstantsin Zhukouski

On 4 June Tsentralny district court of Homel considered the suit of the district tax inspection for forcible exacting 2 115 000 rubles (about $993) of taxes from the activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Kanstantsin Zhukouski for excess of the declared income for the last five years. Judge Kazachok granted the claim.

Bear in mind that earlier the court fined the activist 1 750 000 rubles (about $821) for receiving a wedding gift from his Ukrainian relatives, which was qualified as receiving and using free foreign aid without registration at the department of humanitarian activities.